Recap: "Exactly. I'm a CEO for our company, Uchiha Corps." Sasuke smirked, but it was swept off his face when Sakura blanched at his words. "Is there a problem?" He asked, slightly concerned with her reaction.

Finally, she answered him quietly, looking away with lidded eyes. "I just realized why Naruto didn't think we'd get along."

Chapter 4

…What? Seriously, what? He had just been sitting there, trying to get to know her better and trying to show a little more of himself than he was comfortable with (because, believe it or not, the conversation was not comfortable), when all of a sudden Sakura decided she knew why they wouldn't get along.

And by the way she told him, it looked as if he was the problem. It wasn't her and it wasn't both of them, but him and only him. What was so wrong with him? Sasuke admitted that he wasn't perfect, but up until the last few moments things had been going great, despite the run in with their mutual friend named 'Naruto'. Sakura hadn't clarified or added anything else after her little statement and he was growing annoyed, so Sasuke decided to ask the question that had been plaguing his mind.

"…What?" It wasn't a stupid 'what'; if anything, it was the kind of 'what' that he might have growled out had it been anyone else he was talking to. But he needed to know, he needed her to answer him, so he refrained from his initial response. He tried oh-so-hard to keep from hissing the question, from demanding to know what on earth could have made her say that. So instead, Sasuke's voice came out perplexed, somewhere in between sounding like an idiot and sounding angry.

But once he looked at Sakura's face again, he softened and decided he was glad he didn't completely snap. The girl didn't look upset; instead she seemed troubled. She wasn't repulsed by some unknown thing he did, but instead seemed to be contemplating something.

She looked up at him, her eyes slightly wider than normal. She didn't look like a deer in the headlights, but it was as if she could take in more information and analyze things better that way. And sure enough, it was a moment before she opened her mouth to answer him.

"It's not you… it's complicated." She settled on.

"Then why don't you explain it?" It was more of a demand than a question.

"I…" Sakura looked at him one more time, this time with her eyes softening when they landed on his face. "It's too complicated. I still want to marry you, still want to discuss these things with you, but I'm afraid if I explain it to you now, you'll call it all off."

"If it's that concerning, Sakura, I want to know." He leveled his stare at her, but she had turned away, refusing to look at him.

"I'll tell you, I promise, but I also think…"

"You think what?" He prompted when she trailed off.

"I don't think you'd want to call it off for that reason." He sat, confounded yet again at her words. He hated feeling stupid, but at the moment there was nothing he could do to change that fact.

"Why?"

"Sasuke, please, could we just… go on discussing everything as we have been and forget about that little outburst? I promise once we finish I'll explain everything to you. It's workable if we decide to go through with our agreement, but if I tell you now I'm afraid we'll base our decision on that instead of the people we are." Still, she refused to look at him. She was afraid to look him in the eye, as if she were afraid of his rejection. Her face was turned straight ahead, but he could still read her like a book. She was hopeful. After everything, she was still hopeful that things might turn out, and he admired her for it.

"If we decide we will get married, but whatever… it is, if it's too much for me, I can back out still, right?" Sasuke asked, needing to make sure.

"Of course." She replied, sincere as ever. And, as strange as it may be, he believed her.

Night was falling, and with it the temperature was dropping. Sasuke stood up, startling the woman now in front of him. She thought he was leaving. He was the pessimist and she was supposed to be the optimistic one, but somehow their roles had been reversed. It almost made him laugh, but he wasn't one to be easily humored.

So instead, he reached his hand out for her to take. "Come on; let's talk about this somewhere warmer."

And finally, Sakura looked at him again. And this time, she had a smile.

They had found a small café around the corner. It was small, warm, and cozy, everything a café should be. Sakura followed Sasuke's lead and sat down at a small booth in the corner of the room. There were not many people around, but they had found the perfect place for talking confidentially. Drugs, money, and other paraphernalia could be exchanged much easier and without notice – in their case, it was marriage plans.

Sakura scooted out of her coat, watching as Sasuke did the same. Unfortunately, a button from its collar had snagged in her hair, leaving her stuck in a bind. She quickly tried untangling it with her other hand, hoping to be fine before Sasuke had turned around. But he had seen her and was silently taking in the situation. Emotions didn't often pass on his face, but he looked unsure. He couldn't decide if he should help her or if it would be too awkward for either of them.

Sakura quickly broke eye contact, hoping it would detract from the current situation. Maybe if she could just get the stupid button loose from her hair, things would return to the way they were.

"Do you need…?" Sasuke finally asked, but she cut him off before he could finish the question.

"No, it's fine, just give me a sec." Sakura fiddled with the button about a minute more before the strands caught in it gave up their grip and were freed.

"What can I get for you?" A young waitress, probably in her late teens, came up to the edge of their table.

"I'll take a Strawberries and Cream Frappuccino, with lots of whipped cream and extra strawberry." The waitress nodded, writing down Sakura's order while Sasuke looked like she had grown two heads.

"Can I get anything for you, sir?" The young girl turned to man sitting across from her, who didn't seem to be paying the waitress much attention.

"Coffee, black" Sasuke muttered out, still staring at her with a quizzical brow. The waitress nodded and scampered off, presumably to make their drinks. Sakura took her chance and decided to ask what was on his mind.

"What?"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Nothing."

"If it's nothing then why are you looking at me like that?" She prodded. He snorted and shook his head, and Sakura could swear she caught a smirk pass his lips.

"Tch, nothing really. I was just thinking if you die early, we'll know why."

"Excuse me?" She put her hand over her heart, though she was more amused than offended. He seemed to catch that and clarified.

"That stuff will kill you." He said, still staring at her.

"It's coffee, it's not supposed to be good for you. You drink it because it tastes good, like alcohol or watching TV."

"A little bit of plain coffee is actually good for your health; the same's true with wine. Your argument is flawed. I thought you were the one in the health profession."

"Well, watching TV isn't good for your health." She hoped to gain back her side in the debate, but was failing miserably.

"I never said it was." There it was: that smirk she knew she saw grace his face a moment ago. It was now in plain sight and aimed at her. Sasuke won and he knew it. Sakura turned her head, refusing to meet his smug gaze. Luckily for her the waitress had just returned.

"Here you are, enjoy!" She handed Sasuke his black abyss of a drink before she handed Sakura her own beautiful concoction, just waiting to be consumed. It looked so appetizing, so delectable, so…

"Would you like some coffee with your cream and sugar?" Sasuke's voice asked with an entertained lilt present in it. Sakura turned and glared, grabbing her drink and pulling it close to her, but it seemed Sasuke wasn't quite finished.

"Does that even have any coffee in it?"

"Fine, fine, you won! It's terrible for me and I will die young from too much sugar intake. Are you happy?" She asked, but Sasuke's smirk turned from entertained to satisfied, if that was even possible. For him it seemed to be and was, apparently, his way of replying 'Yes, yes I am happy. I won.'

"So, shall we finish where we left off?" Sakura asked, sobering up the mood. Sasuke nodded in agreement, sipping his coffee as she pulled the list back out.

Conversing seemed to become easier, and as they discussed their possible futures, it was clear that they worked well together. They clicked, and as cliché as Sakura found it to be, it was true - she and Sasuke were a good match.

A few hours had passed, and when the café closed they had changed locations once again, now sitting in Sasuke's car. Sakura reclined in the passenger's seat, staring through the opened sunroof at the night sky. Not a star was visible, with all the city lights and smog, but the cool air was refreshing for the moment.

They had gone through the list, had talked about any concerns they had with the different subjects and had even found others that were not listed. It had taken forever, but they had stayed talking about it until they were finished. Time was of the essence, and though both had work the next day, they made sure things were completed. And though Sakura knew her body would loathe her the next day from her lack of sleep, this was more important than work.

"Sakura," Sasuke's voice rumbled softly from the driver's side. "I've made my decision."

They had both taken some time just to get their thoughts together, to piece in the overflow of information that was surging through their brains. It had been silent for a while, but it seemed as if that was done with.

Sakura turned in her reclined chair, putting the weight on her left arm as she faced him. "And what have you decided?" She asked, almost afraid of the answer.

"I think this can work out, and I want to take that chance and go for it."

"I agree."

"But before this can go any further, Sakura," Sasuke's steady gaze met hers, unwavering and serious. "You have to tell me why Naruto didn't think we'd get along."

She gulped, but nodded nonetheless. "You're the son of Fugaku Uchiha and second in line to inherit his company. I don't have any interest in business, which is why my parents wanted to marry me off to someone who was, because I am their only child and therefore am their only heir."

"So this has to do with business?" Sasuke asked.

"Yes, but it's a little more complicated than that. My last name is Haruno." She didn't have to wait for understanding to hit him. Sasuke understood immediately what she meant; Sakura could see it in his eyes, even in the dark car only lit by the street lamp it was parked next to. She held her breath as she watched Sasuke. He blanched at her briefly before turning and grabbing the steering wheel and staring out into oblivion. His face was blank, but one glance at his eyes told that he wasn't just sitting there; he was thinking and processing every bit of information he had been given.

Ragged breathing was the only sound that permeated the air, and Sakura restrained herself from rapping her fingers against the glass on the window or tapping her feet. It was bad enough that she had had to spring the news on Sasuke so quickly; she had no right to be so restless.

But the nervous, jittery side in her that seemed to be overly displayed in Sasuke's presence wouldn't quell. He was making a decision that could change both of their lives, and her brain overflowed with anticipation and anxiousness because of that. She settled on twiddling her thumbs, an odd gesture that she had never really understood, but had picked up from her third grade teacher. She rotated both of her thumbs around each other as fast as she could without them touching then abruptly changed the direction they twirled, ignoring the elephant in the room as best she could.

"We should do it." A deep voice muttered, scaring Sakura into stillness. She looked at Sasuke, who was now meeting her eyes with such intensity that she felt as if she was falling. "We should get married, Sakura."

She grasped his outstretched hand and nodded, bewildered but she smiled as they shook on it. "Okay then."

It was the most important business meeting of her life.

Ah, it's been a long time, hasn't it? I'm so sorry! I started college, and I've been super busy with that and stuff for high school as well... and honestly, I got out of my writing funk for a while. Finally I decided to try and finish this tonight, and this was a hard chapter to write. I don't think I even looked over it to edit it, and I honestly don't care; as long as I'm through with that awkward spot, hopefully things will get better from here. I'm not going to promise when I'll update next, because I don't know, but I think I'm getting back into the hang of things.

Thank you for every review, they make my day when I read them and they are part of the reason I finally got back on track with this - you guys don't know how much they mean to me. Thanks for reading! :)